beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro Open Studio Headphones

Beyerdynamic recently released 3 new headphone models selling for $600, the DT1770 Pro, the DT1990 Pro, and the Amiron Home. The DT1770 Pro is a studio workhorse and does not have high-end sound quality. The DT1990 Pro and the Amiron Home are both high-end headphones. The DT1990 model number is a progression of the DT990 model number. However, the DT1990 is an entirely different sounding headphone than the DT990. But it is still ideal for the style of music that the DT990 would likely be used for.The DT1990 Pro is a high transparency headphone. Its spectral balance with its bass boosting ear cushions minimizes the need for tone controls. Its bass sound is articulate and non-boomy. Its coloration component is tone lowering which means that it's not pleasant to listen to. However, it is at worst faint for some listeners and not noticeable for most. I found its overall sound personality ideal for listening to EDM (electronic dance music) and other genres where beautiful sound is not a virtue.To be "transparent" is to pass through clearly. A headphone that masks or otherwise clouds detail in audio sound lacks transparency. A headphone that has super high transparency is a headphone that passes sound through with negligible loss in detail.There are 2 overwhelming performance characteristics that determine the overall sound quality of a headphone. They are coloration and frequency response. "Frequency response" is a more technical term for spectral balance. "Spectral balance" refers to the evenness of sound intensity across the audio frequency spectrum. Frequency response gets a lot of attention. Coloration gets none."Coloration" is a lingering and overlaying sound that masks or clouds detail. It is produced by a driver's diaphragm in addition to the sound being reproduced from the sound source. I call this added component the "coloration component". I quantify the amplitude of this coloration component as a percent of the amplitude of the sound being reproduced from the sound source. This value of percent is an estimate that I determine during listening tests.Below is a compilation of headphone models that I have evaluated over the past 3 years. This compilation provides a perspective on how different models compare with respect to transparency. Tier numbering in my past 2 headphone rankings has been completely redone for this compilation. Headphone models new to my rankings in this compilation are placed in brackets.RANKED IN ORDER OF INCREASING COLORATION DISTORTION:TIER 1: Col. Dis. 0.3% ... Not audibleBeyerdynamic T1 (original)/(2nd Gen); [Focal Utopia]TIER 2: Col. Dis. 0.5% ... Tone lowering[Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro]TIER 3a: Col. Dis. 0.7% ... Tone neutral ... Wide BW col. comp.Beyerdynamic T70/T70p (closed)TIER 3b: Col. Dis. 0.7% ... Tone neutralBeyerdynamic DT880 (all ohmic values); Beyerdynamic DT990 (all ohmic values); Beyerdynamic T5p (original)/(2nd Gen) (closed); [Beyerdynamic Amiron Home]; Ultrasone Edition 12TIER 4a: Col. Dis. 1.0% ... Tone neutral ... Wide BW col. comp.HiFiMan HE400i/HE560/HE1000; [HE1000 V2]TIER 4b: Col. Dis. 1.0% ... Tone neutralShure SRH1840TIER 5: Col. Dis. 1.5% ... Tone loweringAKG K812 Pro; Beyerdynamic T90; McIntosh MHP1000 (closed)TIER 6a: Col. Dis. 2.0% ... Tone neutral ... Wide BW col. comp.B&O H6 (original)/(2nd Gen) (closed); Abyss AB-1266TIER 6b: Col. Dis. 2.0% ... Tone lowering ... Wide BW col. comp.Fostex TH900 (closed)TIER 7: Col. Dis. 3.0% ... Tone loweringGrado SR60e/SR80e/SR125e/SR225e/SR325e/PS500e/GS1000e; Audeze EL-8 (open)/(closed); Audeze LCD-2/LCD-3/LCD-4; EnigmAcoustics Dharma D1000TIER 8a: Col. Dis. 5.0% ... Tone neutralSennheiser HD800/HD700; AKG K701/Q701/K702; Bower & Wilkins P7 (closed); Grado PS1000TIER 8b: Col. Dis. 5.0% ... Tone loweringAudeze LCD-X; HiFiMan HE400s; HiFiMan Edition X; NAD VISO HP50 (closed); Audioquest NighthawkTIER 8c: Col. Dis. 5.0% ... Tone raisingGrado RS1e/RS2eTIER 9: Col. Dis. 7.0% ... Tone lowering[Beyerdynamic DT1770] (closed)TIER 10: Col. Dis. 10.0% ... Tone neutral ... Wide BW col. comp.Sennheiser HD600/HD650Closed back headphone models are indicated by "(closed)". Headphones that have a tone neutral coloration component are a fit for genres where beautiful sound is a virtue. Headphones that have a tone lowering coloration component are a fit for genres where beautiful sound is not a virtue. Tone lowering coloration is unpleasant but can be appealing for EDM and badass genres. Headphones indicated by "Wide BW col. comp." have a wide bandwidth coloration component that makes them sound "musical". Headphones not indicated by "Wide BW col. comp." have a narrow bandwidth coloration component that makes them sound "clinical".The Sennheiser HD800 in Tier 8a is a highly popular headphone model in the audiophile world. What makes it popular is its nice sound at first listen, and that produces sales. However, as one ups one's depth of perception with this headphone one can not hear more detail because its coloration masks it. Being able to up one's depth of perception can be equated to looking at the sky at night with a telescope. Without a telescope one can see only so much detail. With a telescope at low power one can see more detail. With the same telescope at high power one can see even more detail. With headphones one can hear more and more detail as one moves up the order of tiers from Tier 8a to Tier 1. But, there is a catch here in that one needs to develop the mental skill necessary to do so. Professional musicians who play acoustic instruments develop this skill naturally in their effort to hear their performance better. Headphone enthusiasts also develop this skill naturally in their effort to hear their music better.When evaluating high-end headphones, it can take me up to 1.5 hours to raise my depth of perception from base line (Tier 8a) to maximum (Tier 1). If from a point of maximum depth of perception I then go back to an HD800 headphone I feel like I have ear plugs in my ears. Its like I'm part deaf. Reviewers who can't discern the dramatic difference in transparency between a Beyerdynamic T1 and a Sennheiser HD800 don't have the metal skill to evaluate high-end headphones. This leads to argument, debate, imagination and so on.I use an amplifier with tone controls to do evaluations. I've never had a pair of headphones with which I didn't want to touch up its spectral balance. Tone controls do not degrade sound quality, not even to the slightest degree.In the following tier by tier paragraphs I comment on the headphone models in the compilation.TIER 1: Since 2010 the Beyerdynamic T1 (original) has been the real gold standard of headphones. It has a natural and nice sounding spectral balance and works beautifully with tone controls. The T1 (2nd Gen) has a tilted spectral balance in favor of bass and is a bass heavy version of the T1 (original). The Focal Utopia also has a tilted spectral balance in favor of bass. Its low end spectral balance is nicer than that of the Beyerdynamic (2nd Gen) but comes with a boomy bass. It has a slight lushness to its sound due to audible harmonic distortion. This audibity is made possible by its extremely high transparency. The Utopia has the best "wow factor" of any headphone made. All 3 headphone models have cavernous ear chambers. For a detailed comparison of all 3, check out my review on the Focal Utopia "From Bright Sounding to Bass Heavy".TIER 2: The Beyerdynamic DT1990 is supplied with 2 pairs of ear cushions, one with 20 vent holes for bass boosting and one with 4 vent holes for best bass detail. The 20 vent hole pair is the one that comes installed on the headphones and it mechanically tunes up the bass. It is the same as the one used on the Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd Gen). You use that one when you don't have tone controls. If you have tone controls and want more bass detail you then install the 4 vent hole pair. To install the 4 vent hole cushions retract the ear cup/headband extensions and remove the installed cushions. To install a cushion find the notch on the mounting ring. The mounting ring and the ear cup flange form a grove that the lip of the cushion fits into. With a finger behind the lip guide the lip into the groove on the right angle side of the notch (not the sloping side) until about a quarter way around. Then twist the cushion clockwise until fully installed. For classical music listeners with a high depth of perception the T70/T70p, the DT880, and the T5p (original) would be a better choice. Better still, would be the Tier 1 models.TIER 3a: The T70p is a 32 ohm version of the 250 ohm T70. It has an angled mini jack with a cable that is only 4 feet long. It is intended for use with portable devices. Both have a nice spectral balance and to a small degree a soft seductive sound. Their seductive sound may be due in part to the mushing effect of enclosure sound in closed back headphones. Their bass can be boosted by converting to bass boosting leather ear cushions. Replacing their ear cushions is easy. The T70 paired with the Beyerdynamic EDT 5P LB genuine leather ear cushions is like a poor man's Focal Utopia. The EDT 5P LB cushions will boost the T70's bass so as to minimize the need for tone controls. The imitation nubuck leather cushions supplied with the T70 are shallow. Should one want a deeper cushion, any ear cushion used on any other Beyerdynamic model appearing in this review will physically fit the T70. But different cushions affect bass emphasis differently. For example, the Beyerdynamic EDT 770 SG cushions will make the T70 bass heavy. The T70 paired with the EDT 5P LB genuine leather cushions is one of the 3 gems of the headphone world, the other 2 being the Beyerdynamic T1 (original) and the Focal Utopia.TIER 3b: The coloration components of 4 Beyerdynamic headphone models indicate that they have the same diaphragm material. They are the DT880, the T5p (original), the T5p (2nd Gen), and the Amiron. Since 2006 the DT880 has been a constant of the Beyerdynamic line. Its spectral balance gives it a bright sound which can be balanced off with bass boost. An integrated amplifier with at least 10dB of bass boost would be good for this model. The T5p (original) is a closed back version of the DT880 with cavernous ear chambers like that of the T1. The T5p (2nd Gen) is like the original T5p except that the bass has been tuned up. One reviewer commented that it was like Beyerdynamic added a subwoofer. Not a good upgrade. The Amiron continues the trend towards bassier sound so that users can get adequate bass without the need for tone controls. It is a bass heavy and boomy version of the DT880. Since the DT1990 Pro with its bass boosting cushions and the T70 or T70p with the EDT 5P LB bass boosting leather cushions do the same but with better overall sound quality, I cannot recommend the Amiron. The DT990's diaphragm is made of a similar if not the same material as that of the DT880. It has a "V" type spectral balance where the treble is overly emphasized and the bass is boomy. The treble needs a tone control to tone it down so one needs an integrated amplifier. If one gets an integrated amplifier then one has a bass boost capability for a DT880 with its smoother high end and more articulate low end. The Ultrasone Edition 12 has an overly accented treble.TIER 4a: I re-evaluated the Tier 4a HiFiMan headphones for this review. This time I compared them directly to the Beyerdynamic T70 using popular music with heavy and light bass content. I found that the HiFiMan models do not match the T70/70p in transparency and they clearly belong a step below in tier ranking.TIER 4b: The headband of the Shure SRH1840 is so uncomfortable that placing a foam pad under it isn't enough.Tiers 5 through 10 are too far down in transparency compared to the top models to recommend. The only thing of interest here is that the B&O H6 is good for escaping the recording studio's acoustics and the Abyss AB-1266 is a good upgrade to the Sennheiser HD600/HD650's muddy sound. The HD650 is a muffled version of the HD600.Why buy the top tier models? You buy the top models so that you don't have to upgrade when your depth of perception improves. Many audiophiles spend a lot of time and money buying various headphone amplifiers and DAC's trying to improve on something that can't be improved. And then there's the so called "burn in" (break in) period. That's when audiophiles spend hours listening to a new pair of headphones until their minds fully adapt to the offending coloration component. You can avoid all of this by choosing a high transparency headphone. If you buy an integrated amplifier with tone controls, you then have the pleasure of tone adjustment along with no headphone compatibility issues.RECOMMENDATIONS:$200 - Beyerdynamic DT880 - Moderately bright sound$550 - Beyerdynamic T70/T70p - Closed back w/seductive sound$600 - Beyerdynamic T70/T70p w/EDT 5P LB leather cushions - Poor man's Focal Utopia$600 - Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro - Best where beautiful sound is not a virtue$800 - Beyerdynamic T5p (original) - Closed back version of DT880 w/cavernous ear chambers$1000 - Beyerdynamic T1 (original) - Best realism and best overall sound$1000 - Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd Gen) - Bass heavy version of T1 (original)$4000 - Focal Utopia - Out of this world "Beats"Update - March 28/18For more evaluation of the Amiron Home and 4 audiophile myths go to my recent review "Amiron Home - Good for Those Who Like to Wallow in Bass" - March 28/18.The EDT 5P LB leather cushions are not available at this time. For more bass boosting cushion options go to my recent review "T70 - One of the 3 Gems of the Headphone World" - March 27/18.

I use these for orchestration and film scoring in my home studio with n RME Babyface Pro FS interface. These are open back, they are designed to leak audio, so you can't use these to track vocals or any recording situation where the mic will pick up the sound from the headphones. For that you'll want the DT 1770 closed-back cans.Let's get right to it:What's Great- The more "exciting" sound on the Beyerdynamics after decently taming them (info coming on that)- The Bass Response... I'm already addicted. It is TIGHT and punchy and has great clarity. I'll put the bass response up against any cans under $1K, but we're not talking hyped Beats junk. First time I listened to the 1990s after 10 straight hours of running an album on repeat to do some burn-in, the piece I listened to a film score cue which has this huge cinematic deep timpani/sound design hit ijn the beginning, and I honestly thought I had left my KH750 Sub on in my room. It was late at night and I leaped up from the chair to turn it off. It was off.- The Soundstage... wow. As impressive as the bass response. First time listening my mouth dropped! I also own DT 990 Pro 80 Ohm for my laptop which sound great and have really nice soundstage reproduction, but the different Tesla design on the 1990s is really something.- Clarity & Detail: wow, I am hearing things in recorded pieces I never noticed, I am just bonkers over that, especially coming from the Sennheiser HD650 veil which I now know exists. The 650s sound wonderfully glued together, but now the detail I'm hearing in the 1990s is so nice, I'm hooked and never going back.- Volume: My Babyface Pro supposedly runs best at 100-150 Ohm headphones for volume output. The 300 ohm (320 actually) HD 650s never seemed to get the volume and punch I wanted, but these 250 Ohm 1990s can get loud enough to blow my neighbor's toupee off, even louder than the 80 ohm 990s I have. So it's not just ohmage... whatever that Tesla technology in the DT1990's drivers does, it works amazingly in both timbre and amplitude. No, BD's Tesla technology has nothing to do with Elon.- Second set of earpads are included. They are named Analytical pads for a flatter response. If you really want 1990s for mixing, use these pads instead. I'm fairly sure that correction software with the more precise Analytical pads would work well for mixing, but I prefer the gray velour Balanced pads for that addicting bass response, which are the pads the 1990s ship with that we see in the photos. The pads are changeable without tools but it's not easy, so you can't switch back-n-forth in any quick manner. Better to make the commitment to the soundscape you want to hear.- Comfort: Any BD owner will tell you that when it comes to comfort, BD sets the bar. Most comfortable I've ever worn, and I have a big noggin.- Made in Germany. I'm a snob I guess. Build quality is so nice on the 1990s.- Cable Connector: A Mini XLR jack is used for the removable cable. Hold that thought, because the BD-supplied cables almost get stuck in the jack, very hard to remove. More on that in a sec.- Case: Comes with a nice semi-rigid zippered case, which has a pouch for cables and a well to hold a second set of pads (the Analytical pads are in there for shipping).What's Important to KnowIt is quite easy to tame the odd 8.5KHz spike, plus two other spots that need a tweak (I'll list below). Sonarworks will fix approximately 9 spots but I'd rather Tame & Learn, NOT sterilize. Some 1990 owners use Sonarworks and then dial it back, FYI. For mixing and mastering, again go with the Analytical pads and correction software, you'll get there much easier as opposed to correction with the Balanced pads. Otherwise, Balanced with some EQ smoothing is my absolute fave (settings are coming!).What I Can't StandThe supplied cables. UGH. What was Beyerdynamic thinking?? I like a straight cable and they do supply a long 9' cable, but the rubber is so stiff, the "memory" is horrible. I can hold up one end and the remaining cable hangs like a spring coil, and I can even shake the cable and it acts like a Slinky (there's a toy to look up, lol). Completely useless. They supply a coiled cable as well but I can't use it (nor would I want to), I need the long straight cable to route around my desk. BUT, here's the worst part: the cheesy Mini XLR plug on the cable doesn't fit right in the headphones, it's almost like you have to jam it in, and then to remove it I have to grab the left can like gripping a baseball, and with the other hand, wiggle and rock the mini XLR jack to finally get it to pop out. REALLY? I found a perfect replacement solution from an online place called Fog City Audio.How to Tame These CansThe 1990s have the notorious 8.5KHz spike but three easy setting on your main output tame them very well and now they sound amazing. The settings:Main Listening (playing, composing, tracking, listening to recorded music)225Hz Peak (not shelf): -2db, Q at 1.08.5KHz Peak: -10db, Q at 4.014KHz Peak: -4db, Q at 4.4Mixing (my EQ profile based on several frequency response graphs online, including Oratory1990 w/Balanced Pads)100Hz Shelf: +2db, Q at 0.7210Hz Peak: -4db, Q at 0.61.4KHz Peak: +0.5db, Q at 1.03.8KHz Peak: -1.5db Q at 3.05.8KHz, Peak: +2db, Q at 3.08.5KHz Peak: -12db, Q at 4.014KHz Peak: -6db, Q at 4.4Thes are definitely my desert-island headphones